I mean what better combination of activities than seeing the world and capturing its beauty with your camera?

For that reason, many photographers - both amateurs and professionals alike - view travel photography as a kind of holy grail. It’s the ultimate activity, that, if given the chance, would be at the top of plenty of people’s dream job list.

Unfortunately, not all of us are lucky enough to be in the position to travel a lot, let alone use it as an opportunity for photographic exploits.

That’s where this list comes in…

We’ve put together a collection of some of the most inspiring travel photographers in the world to give you a little glimpse into the lifestyle of a photographer on the road.

These photographers come from all walks of life, from all parts of the earth. But they share one thing in common: they are out there right now, today, documenting their experiences with their camera.

Let’s have a look and see how these inspiring photographers go about the business of combining travel and photography.

Hailing from Australia, award-winning photographer Lisa got Wanderlust fever after winning a competition by Lonely Planet and getting sent to Marrakech, Morocco. Lonely Planet ended up using her photos for their guidebook, sparking her interest in travel media.

Lisa has roamed the world, spending much of her adventure time crafting beautiful, travel-inspiring photographs in Europe, Asia, and the South Pacific. That’s not a bad way to spend a workday!

Her photography passions are in underwater and aerial photography, which give her a unique take on how to document the world around her.

The images she creates are stunning, of course, but the up-high and below-the-water points of view give her photos a bit of mystery and a ton of excitement because she’s able to show us the world in a way that many of us never get to see it.

In the end, showing people new perspectives is one of the best things about photography, right?

He’s won many awards throughout his career, including the Young Travel Photographers of the Year three times, the first American to get the honor. In addition, he offers photography lectures and workshops and teaches travel photography courses all over the world. Not only that, but he’s also a pioneer in the field of drone photography.

The aerial views he gets from his drone give his photos an otherworldly appearance, with shapes, lines, and textures taking center stage. It just goes to show that no matter what your camera or camera angle, the same simple compositional rules still apply if you want to get the most impactful image.

At just 22 years of age, Nicola is already a veteran of travel and photography, having taken her first solo trip at just 19. A whopping 37 countries later (in just two years!), Nicola now has an even longer list of places to visit and photograph than when she started this whole adventure.

Her goal, aside from traveling the world, is to inform and inspire others about having wonderful life adventures. That spirit is captured in every photo she takes.

Whether she’s exploring a snow-covered mountaintop, hanging her feet off a cliff, or riding a gondola in Venice, Nicola’s images are a great example of how mood and emotion are an integral component of a compelling photograph.

A photo posted by David Hoffmann ? (@davidsbeenhere) on Jan 17, 2017 at 1:20am PST

For David Hoffman, travel and photography go hand in hand as he endeavors to leave his mark on the world.

The way he leaves his mark is to travel around, document those travels, and share his experiences with others in the hopes that they are inspired to pack up and seek out some adventure themselves.

It’s easy for David to do as well. Born in Miami, he was raised in a culturally diverse home that led him to develop a curiosity about people and places apart from those with which he is familiar.

It is that worldly fascination that is on full display in the photos David creates. By using interesting perspectives, he creates images that seem to extend beyond the scope of the frame - capturing people, places, and events that are larger than life.

His occasional selfie adds a bit of lighthearted humor to his portfolio of images too, which is a great reminder to us all that photography and travel is all about having fun!

Ironwulf En Route is the brainchild of Ferdz Decena, a travel photographer that has won plenty of awards during his time wandering the globe.

That success hasn’t soured Ferdz’ desire to continue exploring the world. In fact, he uses his talents to help businesses improve their marketing, but more importantly, also lends his words and his images to organizations that seek to make life better for people around the world.

But for all his travels, Ferdz still finds that the greatest comfort is coming home to his family.

That love for others is evident in the imagery that Ferdz creates. There’s a sense of purpose in each photo; you just somehow know that it has meaning and is a loving representation of that moment in time. It’s a beautiful way to document one’s travels, and a lesson to all photographers to put their heart and soul into the photos they create.

Australian-based Emilie Ristevski spends her time wandering around the world, focused on finding the wonders that natural light reveals to her eyes and her camera’s lens.

Her work is inspired by the pursuit of capturing gorgeous moments, many of which are simple daily activities that often go overlooked as we lead our busy lives.

Emilie has a way of turning her travels into captivating stories that’s hard to match. But her images are often just as strong as her words, with scenes that capture unbelievable light, no matter if she’s in a snow-covered forest or a sun-bathed beach.

Her photos also have a strong sense of nostalgia for days gone by, yet which remain inspiriting for future endeavors. It’s a hard balance to pull off, but it’s one she achieves masterfully.

Like many travel photographers, Jessica Festa - Jessie on a Journey - finds inspiration in the beauty of the world in which we live.

And her goal is to help the rest of us realize that the same types of adventures await us, and so too does a better life.

For Jessie, travel and photography are all about immersing oneself in the cultural experiences you encounter along the way. That philosophy is on full display in her photos.

You’ll find the token “postcard shot” in Jessie’s feed of a beautiful landscape, but you’ll also find more intimate photos - portraits of people she’s met along the way, food and other cultural elements that speak to her, and architectural wonders that tell a story about the places she visits.

In doing so, Jessie shows us that beauty is all around, and that if we are willing, we can learn a lot from people that are nothing at all like us.

Erick, the Minority Nomad, is a world traveler who’s philanthropy and love of photography has taken him from one corner of the globe to the next.

In fact, Erick has had plenty of adventures during his time as a nomad - 90 countries have been marked off his list in his effort to become the first African American to visit every country on the planet.

But that lofty personal goal aside, Erick loves his travels in large part because of the incredible people he’s met along the way and the amazing landscapes he’s seen. There is a distinct feeling of happiness that’s common to Erick’s photos that make it impossible not to smile and take joy out of the tiny glimpse you get of his life on the road.

Connecting with viewers is what photography is all about...and Erick is a master of that!

A photo posted by A Lady in London (@aladyinlondon) on Jan 7, 2017 at 1:18am PST

Originally from San Francisco, Julie has traveled the world (102 countries thus far) in an effort to lead a life that couldn’t be more different from the one she left behind working in finance.

Her love of travel started early on when she spent summers in Paris working at the US Embassy and in Brussels working at the US Mission there.

In 2007, Julie started A Lady in London, which has become a full-time job in the intervening years. Using that as her platform, Julie writes about travel experiences around the globe and delights her followers with images of everyday life from her exploits.

In fact, Julie’s images are a perfect example of how taking a stroll down a neighborhood street can present you with opportunities to create highly compelling photos. That just goes to show that mastery of framing, composition, lighting, and other photography essentials can make just about any subject worthy of being featured in a photograph.

A photo posted by Laurence: Finding the Universe (@lozula) on Jan 2, 2017 at 6:42am PST

Back in 2010, Laurence started Finding the Universe after leaving his IT career for something a little more exciting. In the intervening years, he dedicated himself to traveling, finding ways to inspire through his experiences, his words, and, of course, his images.

In 2014, Jess came into the picture, and since then, the two have been offering practical advice for people that want to be independent travelers who seek out experiences that focus on luxury, culture, and history.

That desire to explore is evident in the photos that Laurence and Jess share with their followers.

From museums to nature preserves, portraits of people to portraits of animals, they have a knack for capturing the beauty of what’s around them in a way that generates excitement and an adoration for a life on the road. In that regard, their images aren’t just something nice to look at; they connect people to their innate desire to explore.

A photo posted by GlobetrotterGirls (@globetrottergirls) on Jan 2, 2017 at 2:57pm PST

As you can surmise from the title of her website, Dani is a globetrotting girl.

What started as a yearlong adventure in 2010 has turned into a lifestyle of traveling the world and sharing stories from the destinations she visits around the world.

One thing that Dani focuses on as she travels is creating memories that will stand the test of time. With that in mind, Globetrotting Girls was born and serves as a place where Dani seeks to inspire curiosity and help people figure out how they, too, can set about a global adventure.

To describe Dani’s photos, it might be most prudent to use words like weird, wacky, and wonderful. Everywhere she goes, she seems to find opportunities to put the uniqueness of the location or its people on full display. It’s a great way to create memories and to explore what each place means beyond just a pretty picture.

As the curator of Budget Traveller, Kash is focused on living a life on the road without breaking the bank and helping people realize that kind of lifestyle as well.

But as Kash says, budget travel doesn’t mean you have to stay in holes in the wall. In fact, he specializes in highlighting how you can travel in style - it’s just a matter of finding good deals.

Kash uses the same nose for good deals to find great subjects for his photos. Unlike other travel photographers that never venture beyond the hot spots or the big cities, Kash gets into the nitty gritty of the locations he visits, demonstrating through his images that beauty lies beyond the glitz and glam that most of us see when we travel.

His photos range from landscapes to portraits to simple glimpses of everyday life from around the world, and as a result, we get a more complete picture of what this little world of ours is really like.

Matthias, who hails from an area near the German-Dutch border, prefers a slow, measured pace of traveling so he can wrest all the experiences he can out of a destination before moving on to the next.

But that doesn’t mean his travels are boring. To the contrary, Matthias purposefully avoids the tourist hot spots in favor of destinations that are off the beaten path. There, he creates fantastic memories of the world he experiences and documents those memories in gorgeous details with his camera.

His slow-paced travel style is often shown in prime detail in his photos. Whether it’s relaxing at the beach with his feet up or using a wide-angle lens to give a distorted perspective of his subject, Matthias is able to capture the essence of taking the time to enjoy the fruits of his photography labors.

Color plays an important role in his photos as well. Check out his work, and you’ll see a liveliness that’s hard to match!

A creative marketing consultant by trade, Tracey is a travel junkie that seeks to share witty stories from whatever location she’s visiting.

In that regard, she immerses herself in the local culture, tapping into the creative and vibrant spirit of local peoples.

Food is a passion of Tracey’s as well, which helps her tell a more complete story of her travels and the manner in which she enjoys exploring new places.

Since she lives in the cool climate of New York, Tracey’s adventures often take her to sun-splashed locations where she can enjoy the outdoors and a little time away from the internet. There, she focuses her camera on subjects that help convey the warmth of the sun - portraits of locals smiling ear to ear, vibrantly colored buildings, and plenty of selfies along the way as well.

Traveling as a couple can be a daunting task, yet Stefan and Sebastien have managed to make it work, and work so well that they have turned it into a business on a mission.

That mission is to help others undertake travels that combine outdoor adventures with other pursuits that make for a more complete travel experience.

To accomplish that, the boys make it a point to find opportunities to sample incredible local food as well as take the time to share romantic moments together wherever they go.

It’s all about finding love and spreading love, and that theme is evident in the photographs Stefan and Sebastien share. Their images don’t just show the love they have for each other, but they also show the possibilities for living a full life with the one you love outside the bounds of settling down in one place.

After all, that’s what travel is about - seeing the world and spreading love wherever you go.

Connect With Stefan & Sebastien on:

Sabrina, or Sab as most people call her, hails from Berlin but travels the world, blogging her way as she goes. She got her start in travel photography in 2008 when she quit her job and spent 433 consecutive days traveling the world.

She was hooked.

After a brief stint back in the “real world” at a full-time job, Sab quit again. She’s since sold almost everything she owns and proudly proclaims that “my home is wherever I am.”

That mantra shows in the images she creates. One look at her Instagram feed and you see a collection of photos that focus on life, love, relationships, and experiences. There’s a vibrancy about them that’s hard to describe as well - maybe it’s her zest for life!

Whether she’s hunting for her shoe in an Indian rice field or swimming with turtles in the Philippines, Sab loves traveling and documenting her experiences with her camera and her blog.

If transitioning from a career in corporate finance to full-time traveling, writing, and photography sounds like a stretch, don’t tell that to Kiersten, The Blonde Abroad.

Kiersten gave the traditional lifestyle a try but quickly realized that the non-traditional route was the one for her. Since quitting her job at a prestigious Los Angeles financial firm, she left to travel the world. In the intervening years, she’s visited 50 countries and documented her extraordinary travels along the way.

The photos of her travels leap off the screen at you for their gorgeous simplicity. Sure, there’s the token selfies in beautiful locations, but Kiersten isn’t afraid to show the everyday subjects she encounters along the way. In that regard, she reminds us all that you don’t have to go to the ends of the earth to find a photo-worthy subject.

Much of Kiersten’s expense on the road (which is nine months of the year) is covered by various revenue streams, including money she makes from social media marketing, videos, and, of course, photography. That’s not a bad way to make a living and spend your time, right?

Julie Small resides in Australia but spends much of her time traveling. Whether traveling abroad or taking short day trips, Julie inspires people to get out and see the big, bold world with her gorgeous photos that show us all what we’re missing by staying at home.

The important part of Julie’s message is that travel photography doesn’t require you to go halfway around the world. Instead, she insists (correctly!) that the rigors of “real life” require that many people stay close to home.

That doesn’t mean that travel photography is off the table, though…

Instead, she recommends that you hop in the car for a quick day trip to the mountains, the beach, or some other location you don’t frequent. Take an overnight trip to a neighboring city, state, province, or country. Even if it’s just for a few hours, get out there, find adventure, and take your camera to snap photos along the way.

It’s in those kinds of travel that Julie finds her photography subjects. Whether it’s a starfish on the beach, a wide vista of rolling hills, or a simple campsite in the woods, Julie isn’t afraid to show the normal, everyday findings of a nomadic adventurer.

Though she’s from the U.S., she loves to wander and has lived in Spain and most recently New Zealand.

She got her taste for travel and photography as a high schooler. Now, after visiting over 40 countries, she still has the itch for adventure - and it just seems to get stronger with every passing day.

Her love of travel is evident in her photos, which show an unabashed joy for the adventures (or as she says, misadventures) that she undertakes. Her ability to frame the shot is uncanny; it draws you right into the image as though you’re right alongside her for one of her forays into the wild.

If you’re looking for an inspiring photographer with an inspiring story, look no further than Liz, the Young Adventuress!

If Alyssa Ramos were to describe herself, she’d use adventurous and sarcastic as two of the first adjectives.

That kind of free-spirited and fun personality is ideal for someone that travels the world by herself, GoPro in tow, inspiring people that see her photos to be more adventurous - and take photos of themselves doing it.

In just over a year, Alyssa has traveled to 51 countries on six continents, though she counts India, the Amazonian rainforest, and Iceland among her favorite destinations.

Alyssa’s zest for life and love of travel is evident in her photography. Many of her photos are self-portraits that place her in some of the most beautiful locations on earth. But it’s not just the landscapes that are beautiful - the way Alyssa captures the excitement of travel is evident in every shot she takes.

If you want to travel and photograph the world, take a page out of Alyssa’s solo travel playbook!

Jackie is the perfect example of how an everyday person can travel the world and do so without breaking the bank.

But how? Using airline miles and points! That’s how Jackie has been able to visit 20 countries on four different continents.

Her passion for travel and photography is infectious. To hear her describe the joy of visiting far-flung locations makes you want to hop online and book a flight right this second.

It’s that kind of excitement that Jackie is able to capture with her camera. Sure, in the self-portraits she takes, that excitement is evident in the expression on her face. But the way she uses colors, textures, and lighting in her images also exudes excitement - even if the subject matter is something as mundane as her hotel room. Her images show us that beauty can be found anywhere, by anyone.

Matt Gibson is a travel writer and photographer whose goal is to use his own experiences as resources for others who love the outdoors, love to travel to new places, and love to take photos.

Matt’s work is unabashedly joyful, with his love of life and adventure coming through in the blogs and images that he posts. He’s also got an educational streak in him - he posts tutorials that get people prepared for travels of their own and do so in a way that maximizes safety and the ability to develop new skills.

And while many of Matt’s photos are of crazy adventures like river surfing or parasailing, he also shows his photography chops in more everyday scenes - portraits, architecture, and landscapes.

No matter the subject, Matt has a knack for using natural lighting and impeccable framing to create images with tons of depth and visual interest that captivate viewers. Use his work as inspiration for your own travel photos!

No matter if they are on a party bus in New Zealand, hiking in Nepal, or exploring the streets of New York, Nienke and Nick follow their hearts and seek out ways to learn more about life, the world, and one another.

The beauty of their travels is that they do it in between their work life. He’s an architect and she’s a blogger, so long-term traveling isn’t in the cards.

But what time they do have to travel is packed full of experiences that have helped them create a truly happy life. In the end, that’s what it’s all about, right?

Their desire to inspire others to take up the mantel of travel photography comes shining through in the images they take. Their have-no-fear approach to traveling gives their images tons of personality, no matter what the subject might be. In short, their photos aren’t all technically perfect, but they connect on a very real level with viewers just the same.

If you’re looking for a travel photographer to follow that highlights luxury destinations, David Duran is your guy.

Where other travel photographers focus on getting off the beaten path, David’s passion is in the experience of travel, from the airline to the hotel to the culinary experiences one has abroad. Those travels have taken him to 54 countries across seven continents over the years.

When you look at David’s photos, they exude the qualities of richness and depth that he often writes about as a luxury travel writer. His use of perspective to give height, framing to direct attention, and lighting to accentuate detail can make just about any subject stand out and grab the eye of the viewer.

Take inspiration from his work - it is a lesson in finding a subject and using composition to make it stronger.

She’s a self-proclaimed failure at things like adulting and has a distinct awkward streak. Yet, that hasn’t stopped her from satisfying her wild imagination with the adventure of a lifetime traveling the world.

It is through those travels that Gloria hopes to inspire others - particularly women who want to set out on an adventure on their own. Pushing the envelope of what’s possible is what Gloria is all about, and she strives to demonstrate that normal, everyday people have the capacity to do pretty amazing things.

In the last four years, Gloria has visited 45 countries and is no more sure of what her long-term goals are than when she started.

But those travels have helped Gloria create a stunning photography portfolio. Looking at her photos, you can see how some people just have a knack for creating an eye-catching photo. Whatever post-processing techniques she uses, they work! There is a softness to the images, with muted tones that give them a luxurious vibe, yet ones that ooze personality too.

For her, it has a therapeutic quality that allows her to overcome obstacles in her life. Better yet, she uses her life experiences to encourage others and offer advice on getting through tough times, no matter what they might be.

In fact, Sjana says that “I want to be so insanely happy, that anyone who comes within 20ft of me can't help but feel happy too.”

This inspirational theme exists across Sjana’s blogs, videos, and, of course, her photography.

There is a tangible sense of joy and wonderment in her photos that’s hard to describe in words. It’s just a feeling you get looking at her images that makes you feel like the world is a beautiful place, and before you know it, you find that you’re smiling.

Like any great works of art, her photos connect with people on an emotional level, and inspire you to do more with your life in the pursuit of happiness.

Where other travel photographers focus on experiences or landscapes, Leonie, a German-based travel blogger, adds the dimension of style and fashion to her adventures.

It makes sense, then, that her blog is title Ohh Couture.

Combining her passions for fashion, travel, and photography, Leonie has transformed from a strategy consultant into an independent fashion and lifestyle blogger. It’s a switch that suits her just fine.

Her images show the marriage of travel photography with fashion in a way that few have yet to master. Stunning landscapes are paired with equally stunning clothing to create images that have a sense of style, luxury, and grace.

In that regard, the fashion Leonie highlights in her images serves to elevate the incredible scenery she encounters on her travels. It’s a match made in heaven!

Juno Kim was born and raised in Seoul, but has since made the world her home after leaving her job as a mechanical engineer in 2011.

At the time, it was the most difficult decision she could have made, but one that has paid dividends over and over again. Now, as a full-time travel blogger, Juno seeks to use her discoveries as a message to others that the world isn’t as big, bad, and scary as we’re led to believe.

She’s skied in Namibia, seen the Northern Lights, traveled to Machu Picchu, and had countless other experiences that inspire others to stop wishing they could travel and actually do something about it.

Juno is a woman of action, and that shows in the photos she takes. Standing atop mountains, gazing upon world heritage sites, posing with locals - you name it, and Juno’s photos elicit the same feeling that she’s gotten as she travels the world. It’s simply a much more inviting, hospitable place than one could ever imagine.

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Having grown up in a small town in Ohio, Rachel might not have ever dreamt that she would one day spend so much time seeing the world beyond rural life in the USA.

Yet, from the start, she had a desire to explore. She would work a job for six months if that meant she could then quit and travel for the other six months of the year. Even when she was in college, she would scrimp and save during the school year so she could afford to spend the summers bumming around Europe or take a winter break on a solo trip to Africa.

But as she explains, she knew something was missing in her life, something that could only be found by living out of a backpack.

It seems she’s found what she’s looking for.

Her photos of her journeys show a woman that is content - content to not have to worry about paying rent or parking fees in favor of having incredible experiences with all sorts of people around the world. You can see the joy she has for life in her photos, and that’s something that should inspire us all to take a little time on the road with our cameras in tow.

For over six years not, Matt Karsten has been traveling the word, and he has no designs on stopping at any point in the near future.

He’s parlayed his fun adventures into a full-time gig, offering up travel tips for the casual explorer, posting fun videos of his travels, writing stories about the places he sees, and sharing his incredible photos to show the beauty that surrounds us.

At the heart of Matt’s work is the desire to motivate others to lead a fuller life. For him, that means traveling to points unknown and finding inspiring stories along the way.

His photographs embody that spirit. There’s a carefree quality to his photos that make one forget the emphasis on time and possessions in “real life” and wonder about what it must be like to spend a lazy day on a beach somewhere. If inspiration for a new and different kind of life is what you’re looking for, look no further than Matt’s photos!

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Who wouldn’t envy someone that quit their job to travel the globe all on their own?

That’s exactly what Kate did, and she’s since turned her passion for travel and photography into a full-time gig, bouncing from one incredible place to the next.

What sets Kate apart in the world of travel photographers is that she’s focused on the experience. That’s not to say that others aren’t, but Kate takes it to another level…

She’s been an extra in a movie in Germany, flirted with Jon Stewart in New York, and even been shipwrecked in Indonesia. Adventurous Kate is a fitting name!

Something else that sets Kate apart is that she demonstrates that women can travel solo without fear. That’s uncommon in her native country of the United States, but her photos and stories show the confidence she has to go anywhere at anytime, and feel safe and secure when doing so.

Like plenty of travel photographers before her, Samantha Murphy feels that “call of the wild,” compelled to see what adventures await around the next corner.

It’s not that the Chicago resident doesn’t find plenty of excitement at home, it’s just that she has an ever-growing bucket list of places to see that keep calling her to the road.

For Samantha, the best education isn’t found in a classroom being told what you should or shouldn’t think by someone else. Instead, finding things out on your own, wherever the world wants to take you, is the way to learn about oneself and this crazy planet we all inhabit together.

Samantha’s photos are what she calls her “visual diary.” Instead of words to document the day, she expresses herself in images that highlight form and texture that give the photos a three-dimensional look. She’s a master at framing the subject too, using leading lines, colors, light, and shadow to bring more attention to the subject and showing us why each subject is meaningful in its own way.